July 22, 2009

Interesting Perspective

(*Ryan--this post is just my ramblings. No updates or pictures of Ella.)

I read this interesting quote on a friend's blog recently. It comes from a book called The Survivor's Club, by Ben Sherwood.

" When it comes to adversity, it's human nature to make comparisons. Which is worse? Getting trapped in the freezing Andes or accidentally killing your child? These questions are inevitable but lead nowhere. While some challenges appear to be more daunting or excruciating than others, if you're going through your own ordeal, it doesn't make any difference where it ranks on some imaginary Richter scale of survival.....Sure, adversity comes in many sizes and shapes, but if it's happening in YOUR life--if it's got your undivided attention--if that stakes matter to YOU--then contrasts are irrelevant. The Big One is happening to you, right here and right now. Relativity doesn't matter. No matter the crisis--on a glacier or in a driveway--the second rule of the Survivors Club means that your challenge is just as big a deal as anyone else's."

Thought-provoking, isn't it?

And while I'm at it, I read an interesting article in the Ensign recently that has stuck with me. It was written by a woman had led an active and purposeful life. Her experiences in church, sports and schooling defined her. After returning from an LDS mission to Ireland she became sick and is now battling a chronic illness that does not allow her to do much of anything. She struggled with feelings of inadequacy until she realized that, "my worth does not depend on my abilities but is founded in the fact that I am His [God's] child."

The idea that we all have innate worth, despite our inadequacies and failings, was powerful. After reading this I wanted to become less judgmental and more loving.

I also blog here

In med school when you asked a tired, overworked, underpaid student how they were doing a common tongue-in-cheek response was "Living the dream." But now I'm on the other side, living that so-called dream. It's filled with dirty diapers, snot nosed kids, crying babies (both at work and at home), and sleepless nights.